Officials aim to apply proposed law change to suspects convicted in connection with New Year’s Eve assaults

BERLIN—Germany plans to make it easier to deport foreigners with criminal convictions, seeking to calm a public outcry over allegations of mass New Year’s Eve assaults on women by mainly migrant men.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière and Justice Minister Heiko Maas proposed a law change Tuesday that would allow people granted or seeking asylum to be deported from Germany if they are sentenced to one year in prison. The law currently requires a three-year sentence to trigger an asylum seeker’s deportation.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday said convicted asylum seekers could be deported more quickly. The move is in response to allegations of mass assaults by migrants in Cologne on New Year's Eve. Photo: Getty